


Black Fire

by WarriorOfTheLight



Category: RWBY
Genre: Dark Yang, F/F, Post Volume 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-07-18 20:05:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7328731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarriorOfTheLight/pseuds/WarriorOfTheLight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Yang continues to spiral downwards, Raven decides to take her under her wing. Ruby, still on the hunt for clues behind the fall of Beacon, has to make the choice between avenging her fallen friends, or reuniting her team and saving her sister.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Choices

She had been watching her for a long time.

But now she was stagnating.

And Raven decided it was time to intervene.

* * *

 

Yang had always prided herself in her ability to get up and continue to fight. She had always been able to take a hit. She was never one to give up.

But things were different now.

The Yang Xiao Long that people knew was gone. Gone like her arm. Gone like her dreams. Gone like her mother, like Blake, like Ruby. Now she was nothing but a shell of the person she once was. Empty and unfeeling. Waiting, and hoping, for an end.

“I told you I wouldn’t save you again.”

Yang’s gaze moved slowly from the spot outside to see _that_ woman, the one from her dreams, lounging disinterestedly in a chair next to her bed, legs crossed as she surveyed her nails.

_Raven_.

The elder’s eyes gave nothing away as they took in the sight of her broken daughter before her. Finally, the red orbs came to rest on the stump of Yang’s right arm. Yang, aware of where Raven’s eyes had settled, shifted slightly, turning her body so that what was left of her arm was hidden.

All the questions that Yang had wanted to ask her mother had disappeared. She knew that she should feel something about Raven casually showing up, as if nothing had ever happened. As if she had never been the one to abandon Yang in the first place. But after so long of feeling nothing, Yang’s emptiness remained. She didn’t care about those questions anymore. She just wanted to be left alone – which was ironic when she was so damaged from being left behind.

“Why are you here?”

A dark eyebrow rose in amusement. “It’s a wonder it took so long for you to lose your arm.”

A wave of heat raced through Yang. How dare this woman – her _mother_ , no less – abandon her and only show up to gloat when Yang was at her worst? How _dare_ she?

But, as soon as the anger had come, it died out again. Raven was right. During the time that Yang had spent by herself since the fall of Beacon, she had thought about what had gone wrong. She fought using her emotions. Her anger fuelled her fire, so to speak. She relied on it. She should have surveyed the situation rather than racing in there without a thought for herself. But seeing Blake like that…

Yang mentally shook her head. She didn’t think of her partner anymore. It hurt too much and brought up emotions that Yang was trying her best to lock away.

Yang knew it was her fault that she had lost her arm. She had no one to blame but herself.

Raven watched as her words sunk in. She didn’t outwardly react when Yang’s eyes flashed crimson for a moment before returning to the sunken lilac. So, there was still some fight left in Yang. That was good. Raven could use that. She needed that. Yang was alright before, but with Raven’s mentoring, she would be great.

Raven sighed. Yang was stubborn and it would take some persuading on her part to convince her to come with her.

“You might think you have given up, but you’re more Branwen than anyone gives you credit for.” Tired lilac met confident scarlet. Raven lent forward. “I could make you great again.”

Longing flashed in Yang’s eyes, only to be quickly overridden by uncertainty.

“Why?”

That question. Always ‘why’. Raven hadn’t wanted to answer any questions with that word in. Her intentions were her own. But Yang needed some incentive to go with her.

Leaning back again, Raven nonchalantly answered. “I need you.” A small crease formed between Yang’s eyebrows as she frowned and Raven resisted the urge to flinch. She looked so much like Taiyang when she did that. She could see another question forming in her daughter’s mind. “I cannot tell you more until I know that you are with me.”

Yang’s eyes drifted away. To anyone else, it would appear that the blonde had spaced out, but Raven knew her daughter well enough to see the spark of thought flickering in her eyes. She sat patiently whilst her daughter thought. She could have said more, but she knew that Yang was in a fragile state of mind and didn’t know how much she swayed towards not getting hurt. If Yang had lost interest in her own safety, it would make Raven’s job a lot easier, as much as that thought didn’t sit well with her.

But Raven had always been the pragmatic member of Team STRQ.

She knew how to get the job done.

Yang, on the other hand, was torn. Well, as torn as an emotionally stunted person could be. She didn’t trust Raven, despite how much she said she needed her. Yang doubted that she would ever be able to trust her biological mother. But there was a small part of her that didn’t want to quit. It slowly floated to the surface of her mind and whispered traitorous thoughts. That she could be a whole new person under her mother’s instruction. It told her that she didn’t have to be weak anymore. She could be strong; like Summer, like Qrow, like Raven.

And what did she have to lose. Ruby was gone. Blake was gone. Her friends were gone. Her school was gone. The world had abandoned her. Remnant saw her as nothing but a brute who broke the leg of an innocent boy. She was an outcast from it. And with one arm she was disabled. She couldn’t fight like this. Could she?

So what did she have to lose?

Turning her eyes back to her mother, Yang gazed for a long moment into Raven’s eyes, trying to discern some ulterior motive. But her mother was harder to read than Qrow was. The world was full of secrets. She knew that much now. But it was time for her to be told them.

“Fine.”

A slow, victorious smile spread across Raven’s lips. She hadn’t expected Yang to give in so easily, but this wasn’t the same daughter that she once was. Raven knew that Yang resented the world now, and this was her opportunity to hit back at it.

And knowing Yang, she would hit it harder than it had ever hit her.

“Hey Yang. I got you some new flowers from-“ Taiyang’s words were choked off at the sight of his daughter, and beside her, Raven. Raven who had left him with Yang years ago without a word. Raven whose whole presence spelt trouble. “Raven. What are you doing here?”

The bright sunflowers dropped from his hands as Raven stood from her seat. There was a smirk on her face that Taiyang recognised. It was one of victory. Whilst Qrow never failed to voice his thoughts, Raven was more dangerous. She never revealed her true intentions until it suited her. She was a snake that needed to be kept at a safe distance.

“What have you done, Raven?” his clipped tone caused Raven to cock her head at her former teammate.

“I was visiting _our_ daughter, Tai.” Raven replied coolly. “She’s going to be staying with me for a little while.”

Taiyang’s eyes shot open and swung to Yang. “Yang no! You don’t understand Raven. Whatever she’s told you isn’t true. She uses people.” Raven scoffed in offense at having been spoken about as if she weren’t there whilst Taiyang desperately tried to get Yang to look at him, but she stared down at her lap, refusing to meet his gaze. He glared at Raven. “I won’t let you do this. You don’t get to show up when it suits you and take my daughter away from me.”

Yang’s frown deepened but she stayed silent. She had made up her mind. She was going with Raven.

“Tai, you are in no position to stop me.” Raven calmly stated. “But I’ll admit that I can’t let you get in my way and prolong this any further. Goodnight Tai.” With a click of her fingers, Taiyang’s eyes rolled back and his knees buckled, sending him sprawling to the floor.

“What did you do?” For the first time since she had been there, Yang raised her voice slightly, alarmed at how easily her mother had brought her father down.

With a disdainful look at the blond on the floor and then at the one in bed, Raven shrugged lightly. “The right combination of dust can put anyone to sleep. He’ll be out for long enough for us to get a good distance away from here. I meant it when I said I can’t prolong this further. We’re running out of time if you want to get stonger. There’s so much to do.” She turned fully to her daughter. “Now hurry. We leave in five minutes.” Turning on the ball of her foot, she walked out of Yang’s room.

Yang wasted no time in pulling herself from her bed. Her legs were weak from disuse and shook beneath her. But she made it to her father. She checked his pulse and was relieved when she felt it beating strongly beneath her fingers. She wondered if Raven could have killed him if she desired it. Yang had no idea if she could. Raven was still a mystery to her.

“I’m sorry, dad.” She whispered before pushing herself up.

Looking around her room, she realised that there was so little that she wanted to take with her. Everything was shrouded in memories of a past life. Of a past that she was trying to forget. Throwing some clothes into a bag, she grabbed Ember Celica and threw it in there as well. One thing she didn’t doubt was the fact that Raven was going to make her stronger. She just didn’t know how.

Clothing and weapon packed, Yang hesitantly opened her bedside draw and withdrew a photo. Smiling up at her, Team RWBY were wrapped in a group hug that was more like a dog pile than anything. Ruby had her arms around Weiss’s neck whilst the heiress was laughing at the other girl’s antics. Behind them, Yang had her arm slung comfortably around Blake’s shoulders and was looking at her with a reverence that in hindsight made her feel embarrassed. Blake, whose cheeks were tinted pink, was laughing at Weiss and Ruby, but had her own arm wrapped around Yang’s midsection, her hand resting on the blonde’s waist. Yang couldn’t even remember why this picture was taken but it was such a happy picture. Velvet had given each of them a copy of it and it had once been one of Yang’s most treasured possessions. But now? She went to put it back in the draw before hesitating and folding it before stuffing it in her pocket.

With one last glance around the room, Yang stepped over her father’s unconscious body, leaving her old life behind, and followed after Raven.


	2. Decisions

The hulking form of the Beowolf loomed over the short girl, its long twisting arms tipped with sharp claws reaching towards her, as if in slow motion. Too slow. In a flash of red and silver, the great scythe that the girl wielded cleaved the Grimm vertically in two.

Silver eyes blinked around, looking for any other enemies but Ruby saw no more monsters. Instead she was met with the smiling (if slightly strained) faces of Jaune, Nora and Ren. The small pack of Beowolves had been fairly easy work for the four of them.

Ren looked around at the fading bodies of the Grimm. “The attacks are getting less frequent.” He observed. His words echoed uncomfortably in the silence of the forest clearing. It was true. They had come to Haven because Qrow had said that it was the only lead that they had. But it hadn’t been easy. Once they had managed to reach Haven, they had no idea where to go. Leads didn’t exactly pop up. It was weeks before they came across anything potentially substantial. From there, each lead had led to another lead. That was, until a few months ago. They were in northern Haven and the closest thing that they could get to a piece of information was to go West, deep into the Haven forest.

They had encountered many packs of Grimm at first, but recently they had become more and more sporadic. And it didn’t sit well with Ruby. She was worried that they were going in circles, clearing the forest of its Grimm rather than hunting down the enemy.

Looking to Jaune to see what he thought of the situation, she found a pensive thought upon his features, something that wasn’t unusual nowadays. Ruby hadn’t wanted to impose on what was left of Team JNPR, but Jaune had insisted that a joint leadership between the two of them would be the most beneficial. Ruby could come up with plans (admittedly sometimes they were crazy plans) and Jaune would input any idea he had and often he would create tactics and strategies.

Ruby would always be grateful for Jaune, Nora and Ren taking her in so readily and following her – blindly in some cases – but she couldn’t help but miss her own team. Sure she fought well with JN(P)R but she was so used to fighting with Team RWBY that it had taken her a while to stop shouting battle orders like ‘ladybug’ and ‘ice flower’. And she didn’t just miss fighting with her team. She missed _them_. They were her friends. Her family.

_Family_.

The mere thought of family sent guilt washing through Ruby. She had left her father, her uncle, her sister, in order to follow a hint of a lead that could lead to the enemy. Ruby had made the decision to keep moving forward, but the cost of her actions still haunted her.

It had only been a couple of months since she had left Patch, but Ruby could see the change in those around her. Jaune looked older, whether it was the fact that he smiled a lot less now, or his tired and distant eyes, Ruby couldn’t tell. Nora, to her credit, did her best to keep everyone’s spirits up, Ren often joining in and humouring her. But they couldn’t hide their flinches each time Jaune fought. His movements emanated Pyrrha so strongly that it was almost painful to watch.

“Ren’s right.” Nora added. “Do you think we’re going in the wrong direction?”

At the voicing of the question that they were all thinking, Ruby tried not to groan. She really had no idea where they were going and the woods seemed to be endless. She didn’t know if less Grimm attacks meant that they were getting closer to their target, or further away. She was frustrated. She hadn’t thought that it was going to take this long to find _something_. Anything. Instead they had been going round in circles, racing after each lead as if that would be the one to lead them to the enemy. They had been so intent on avenging Pyrrha, Penny and Ozpin that they hadn’t thought far enough ahead. At this point, Ruby wasn’t even sure what they were going to do if they came across the enemy. Cinder had taken the power of the Fall Maiden – she had defeated Ozpin with that power, and Beacon had fallen. Ruby still held the hope that their little ragtag team could defeat the bad guys, but with each passing day of no results, that hope grew thin and strained.

As she opened her mouth to finally admit that she didn’t know what to do, a rustling broke through the silence of the clearing, causing everyone to become on high alert instantly. Ruby, Ren and Nora had their weapons trained on the spot where they had heard the noise come from, ready to fire, whilst Jaune raised his shield and prepared to directly attack. It was a battle formation that had turned out to really work for them.

From the undergrowth, a familiar figure stumbled out, cursing the thorns of the bush he had just walked through. Looking up, he fixed the children before him with a harsh scowl.

“You know, you kids aren’t the easiest to track down.”

Ruby’s eyes widened and her heart soared at the sight of her uncle. Her hero.

“Uncle Qrow!” she cried, flinging herself at the grouchy man, earning herself a small smile from him. “It’s so good to see you!”

Qrow regarded her with an intense gaze. Ruby had grown up in the past few months. Qrow knew that her idealistic ways meant that she took the blame for the fall of Beacon upon herself. He knew that she thought that she could have saved her friends and her school. She was just like her mother in that way. And it was clear that to Ruby and her friends, each day that she had spent searching for revenge, she had learnt a lot more than what schools and lessons and books could teach her.

However, Qrow’s quietness didn’t go unnoticed by Ruby. Pulling away from the embrace, she looked at him with a calculating gaze that was both much like Summer’s and Taiyang’s.

“Not that I’m not glad to see you, but, uh, why are you here?” she questioned, tilting her head slightly and looking at her uncle with wide eyes.

Qrow sighed and took out his flask. Normally he tried to not drink in front of Ruby and Yang, but these circumstances weren’t exactly normal.

“It’s your sister.”

Those three words hit Ruby harder than any attack ever had. A tremor started in her hands and continued to grow until her whole body shook with fear. Qrow wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t worried. Something bad must have happened to Yang. That was what she could see in his eyes. It was worry.

“Qrow, what’s happened? Where’s Yang?”

“She’s with her mother. Raven’s convinced her to go with her.” Qrow rubbed his forehead tiredly, suddenly looking a lot older. “I’m not going to sugarcoat this for you, kid. I don’t like this. Raven really wants Yang. She knocked your father out in the process – he’s fine, just frantic with worry – and that doesn’t sit well with me. Raven,” he paused, thinking of the right words to use. “She’s pragmatic, she gets the job done. But in doing so, she uses people. I don’t know what she’s going to do with your sister. But it won’t be good. She’s gone, Ruby.”

The spun dizzily around Ruby. Yang was gone? This was all her fault. She had left Yang, her own _sister_ , when she needed her most. If she hadn’t left, then she could have prevented Raven from taking Yang. Bile rose hotly in her throat and Ruby fought the urge to throw up. Instead, she sat heavily on the ground, her own legs not supporting her own weight any more.

“Hey, this isn’t your fault.” Qrow crouched before Ruby, trying to get through her haze. “Yang hasn’t been in a good place since Beacon. Raven targets people when they’re at their weakest. When they’re least likely to oppose her.”

But Ruby was barely listening.

_Beacon_.

A plan was beginning to form in her mind. It was a damn near impossible plan, but it was still a plan. If Ruby could reunite her team, then they would be able to get through to Yang. That by reuniting Team RWBY, Yang would be safe. She would be with her friends, with her family, with people who loved her.

But then Ruby remembered why she had left in the first place. She had joined what was left of Team JNPR to take down the true enemy.

Looking to Jaune, Ruby found a kind smile on his face and a warmth in his eyes that had been missing since Pyrrha died.

“Go after your sister, Ruby. We won’t lose anyone else to this. Nora, Ren and I, we’ll keep going and when we find them, we’ll wait for you. You bring _all_ of Team RWBY and we’ll take these guys down together, ok?” Jaune smiled and Nora gave Ruby a big thumbs up whilst Ren inclined his head in a bow. “Just,” he faltered for a moment, before smiling again, “leave some of them for us.”

Ruby nodded before smiling, tears threatening to fall. She looked to Qrow who was watching her in anticipation. He knew that she would go after Yang – the sisters were incredibly close after all. But he had never known where to find his sister. She had always found him when she deemed it fit. He didn’t know where to start.

“I hope you have a plan, kid.” He drawled, raising an eyebrow at the determination burning in Ruby’s eyes.

With a small smirk, Ruby answered, confidence colouring her voice.

“I’m going to get my team back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Is anyone else super pumped for Volume 4 after RTX? Cause I'm kinda freaking out I'm so excited.  
> I hope you liked this chapter and let me know what you thought.  
> Feel free to find me on tumblr: warrioroftheice


	3. Essence

“Again.”

Yang pushed her aching body up from the dusty, hard ground, her strained arm shaking considerably under her weight. Raven was pushing her too far past her limits and she wasn’t showing any signs of letting up anytime soon. Yang suppressed the urge to groan as the bruised skin across her ribs stretched painfully, instead focussing on getting to her feet and facing her mother again.

Yang wasn’t sure what Raven hoped to achieve from this. She would have struggled to fight her mother when she had both of her arms, but now it was nothing short of a joke. In the hours that they had been “sparring”, Yang hadn’t landed a single blow upon her mother whereas Raven hadn’t held back. Yang’s aura was well past depletion and bruises fanned out across her skin like forgotten galaxies whilst intricate webs of cuts continued to grow upon her once unblemished skin.

And the worst part was that Yang wasn’t even surprised. She hadn’t trained in months – her body was weak and she was far too slow against her mother. Not to mention she was off balance. When her frustration mounted up, Yang instinctively attacked with her right arm, only to be knocked to the ground, again.

Since she lost her arm, Yang had struggled to activate her semblance. The last time she had been fired up, so to speak, she had lost her arm. And now she couldn’t even get angry. Some part of her was almost scared to – she had lost so much that she knew that she couldn’t lose anything else. Whenever a flash of anger ran through her, she saw rubble and flames; she saw Adam withdrawing his sword from Blake; she felt the white hot sensation of her arm being sliced from her body. But, as much as she feared the flashbacks, the reality of the situation was that she just _couldn’t_ get angry. She couldn’t allow herself to lose control again. And so the emptiness that had come from losing her arm, and her friends, and _her,_ had swallowed her.

And Raven knew that.

Raven knew that Yang was bordering on the very edge of a deep depression. She had seen the flinches that came with reliving the memories of that night whenever Yang was pushed to anger. She had thought that if Yang had sustained enough hits, she would be able to hit back, to give as good as she got – _better_ even. But it was clear that she was Taiyang’s daughter as much as she was her own. She needed the right motivation, and the obscure possibility of helping her was doing nothing for it.

But it was also blatantly obvious that Yang had lost her will to fight. Raven knew that Yang had always struggled to define what made her fight – she wasn’t like her sister in that way – and the loss of her arm had banished any hope at dreams that she had. Yang’s depression meant that in order for Raven to motivate her anger, she was going to have to cut deeper than the physical and verbal blows that she had been directing at Yang.

Raven delivered a brutal kick to Yang’s torso, sending her sprawling to the ground again and winding her daughter into temporary immobility.

“You’re slow. And weak. I’m embarrassed that you are my daughter.” Her attempt to anger Yang failed as she saw nothing but recognition and acceptance of her words in Yang’s eyes. So that was clearly the wrong approach. She needed to hit harder to home. Harder to her heart. “What would your team say if they saw you now?” Yang’s only response was to glare up at her mother. That was the most reaction that she had gotten so far and Raven decided to press her daughter harder as she struck again. “What would that pretty little faunus that you were partnered with say? Well, if she were still here that is.” Her fist never found its mark. Yang stared up at her mother with blazing red eyes, her hand ablaze with a bright fire as she held Raven’s fist in her own.

 “Shut up!” Yang growled, eyes burning a brilliant red as she pushed herself to her feet with her mother’s fist still within her own burning one. Raven didn’t flinch against the heat, both amused and amazed at Yang’s reaction. So her weakness was her partner? It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened.

Yang was furious. How dare this woman who had been out of her life for years comment on Blake. She had no right to do so. She didn’t know Blake like she did. Or, well, like she thought she did. Who was Raven Branwen to pass judgement on someone for leaving? The moment that Raven had started to talk about Blake, Yang had felt her anger resurface, only this time, it wasn’t accompanied by the flashbacks. It was as if her pure anger had burnt through them.

Yang had thought that she had no aura left, but in her anger, she felt some dregs in the corner of her consciousness. Instead of using it to heal herself, she focussed it all to one point of her body – her remaining hand. She felt the old familiarity of the heat of her flames as they crackled and sparked around her hand, enveloping her palm and snaking around her fingers. She didn’t even consider the possibility of burning her mother. But it would show Raven that she shouldn’t push her daughter too far.

Raven smiled at the strength that her daughter possessed. She knew that Yang was even stronger than people thought that she was and it was only a matter of drawing it out. But Raven also realised that the danger that she was in. Yang was capable of taking a hit and using the energy behind it to strike back. And she had taken plenty of Raven’s attacks. Raven could sense that power building within Yang and if her daughter couldn’t control her release of that much energy then she could easily kill Raven, or bring down this cavern in Mountain Glenn. She had to dispel this situation. And quickly.

“Yang…”

Refusing to let her mother say anything else, Yang concentrated on forcing her aura outwards. Without realising it, she swung the right side of her body, as if she were about to strike out at her mother. In a flash of golden flames, Raven was thrown backwards, hitting the ground hard and she rolled to cushion the blow, but to little effect. It had been so long since someone had managed to strike her, let alone wind her.

Stalking towards her, Yang glowed with the anger of her semblance. Her eyes shone a bright, dangerous shade of red, and flames still crawled around the fingers of her remaining hand. Slowly, with the grace of a predator, Yang began to circle her mother.

Pushing herself to her feet, Raven decided to test Yang further whilst she was in this condition. Drawing her sword, she sprang at her daughter, bringing her weapon up in a sweeping crescent and towards Yang’s midsection. Raven had complete and utter control over her weapon and could stop it in an instant a hair’s breadth from contact. But she wouldn’t need to at this point. Faster than Raven had ever seen her move, Yang dodged the blow, ducking underneath the swing and spinning her body, being careful to keep her weight on her left side, and sweeping her leg out, knocking Raven back a few steps.

Whilst it had been a while since Raven had been fairly matched in a fight, she hadn’t grown complacent. She used the momentum of her stumble to turn into her next move, anticipating where Yang would be next. Sparks flew as Yang brought up Ember Celica up and glanced the heavy blow downwards into the dirt. Without pausing, Yang twisted her body over the blade and brought a leg down into Raven’s shoulder.

Raven took the hit and, again, used its momentum to push herself into a roll before twisting much like Yang had and landing a hard kick to her daughter’s collarbone. Yang staggered backwards before planting her heels firmly into the ground and firing off three rounds from her gauntlet. Raven rolled and grabbed her weapon’s hilt, bringing it up and slicing through the shots.

“Remember this anger, Yang.” Raven and Yang began to circle one another. “Remember this _power_.” Yang said nothing but her eyes blazed with understanding. “Never relinquish your control over _this_.” She gestured in Yang’s direction. “Only you can become as powerful, or as weak, as you determine.”

Yang abruptly stopped. She understood what Raven was saying. She had the ability to retain this… _form_ … of herself. But only if she allowed herself to.

Taking a deep breath, Yang calmed herself, but her eyes retained their crimson hue. The knot of anger still sat heavily in her chest, but she was in control now. She had taken out her frustration, in part, upon her mother for her words and her abandonment. She was still using her anger at Raven as motivation and energy, but she also drew upon her hurt from Blake and Ruby’s abandonment, from Adam for taking her arm from her, at Cinder Fall for bringing about the downfall of Beacon and killing Pyrrha, at Mercury Black for framing her, at Ozpin who thought that creating an army of _children_ was a good idea. Yang hadn’t even realised how much anger and resentment she harboured until now. But that was good. It would drive her. But her mind kept going back to Blake. It always did. Blake was the primary source of her anger. Her betrayal.

Raven watched Yang carefully as she calmed herself. She smiled victoriously when Yang’s eyes remained red, but they didn’t hold the same thoughtless anger behind them. Instead of that fiery, primal anger, they held a cold, calculating glare. Yang was a fast learner. That was good. It put them ahead of schedule, but Raven was more than fine with that.

After all, she was resourceful.

* * *

 

Yang gritted her teeth against the pain. It came in bouts, sometimes a dull ache, sometimes a sharp piercing that went all the way up to her shoulder.

But she had been warned that that would be the case as she healed. Looking down she took in the still new sight of her new prosthetic arm. The black metal with the bright yellow plating was garish and indelicate. Yang had little memory of how she came to have this arm. One minute she was with Raven, the next she was waking up and her entire arm felt heavy and burnt with the fire of a thousand suns.

Yang had complained about the colour. It was bright and too reminiscent of her old self. Not to mention she didn’t want more attention brought to her disfigurement than she already had, but Raven had shot her down instantly.

“You must not forget your colour. It is your essence. It is you. You would not be you without your essence, Yang.”

It didn’t make that much sense to Yang. After all, it was Ruby who had been named after a colour, not her. She hadn’t realised that she had a colour, an _essence_. But Raven deemed it important and Yang knew better than to question her mother about such things. Raven was still secretive, and still dangerous, but if she thought that something was important, Yang would be a fool to ignore it.

And so she learnt to fight with her arm. The power behind it was intense, and it took her days to master how to use it. Her sparring with Raven was more equally matched and Yang delivered as many hits to her mother as she got from her. Yang also realised that Raven must have had this planned for a while as the arm had a blasting mechanism, much like Ember Celica, and so Yang had the equivalent to her former self back.

Except this time she was in control.

This time, she was out for blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been an age since I last updated. I haven't had any internet for the past six weeks and I'm currently uploading this from a coffee shop. I'm going to try and update as often as possible but it has become a lot more difficult than I had thought it would be.  
> Thanks for reading and as always, let me know what you thought and come and find me on tumblr @warrioroftheice


	4. Reunion

Weiss walked slowly through the concrete and glass maze that was Atlas’ Academy, Alsius. Her lessons were finished for the day and she had nowhere else to be, so why hurry? If she was honest, she hated the vast expanse of grey that surrounded her - she much preferred the green campus that Beacon had. _Beacon_. The thought of her former school still sent pangs of grief shooting through her. So much had been lost, and Weiss had lost the life that she had fought so hard to create for herself. She was, however, aware of how lucky she had been to be allowed to continue her studies. Her father had always drilled that “Schnees never quit”. And he had already invested Weiss into Huntsman training. The last thing he wanted was to explain why his daughter had not completed her training. It could imply that she wasn’t capable enough to continue, and he couldn’t have that. If she completed her training, whilst being a well-known victim of the fall of Beacon, it would reflect well upon the Schnee name. Not to mention he wanted to keep her close – the fall of Beacon giving him as good an excuse as he needed to ensure that. It also helped that General Ironwood and her father often worked together and so she had no issue getting back into this school.

And so Weiss’ father had paid for her to finish her training at Atlas Academy. As it was so late in the year to join, Weiss forwent a team for private tutelage. It was lonely and Weiss made no effort to try and make new friends (her name already marked her out as a pariah), but she preferred it this way. She knew a few people, Flint and Neon being in the small handful of people that she occasionally spoke to. But she was still part of Team RWBY and the thought of joining a new team struck such a harsh chord of betrayal through her that it threatened to overwhelm her.

Weiss hadn’t heard from any of her former teammates since the fall of Beacon. What with the Vale CCT network being down, it wasn’t easy to contact anyone in or around Vale. She didn’t know how Yang was doing after her… injury. She didn’t know where Blake was, or what she was doing. She hadn’t heard from Ruby… the bright flash of that strange silver-white light flashed behind Weiss’ eyes and Ruby’s pained scream echoed in her mind. That was the last time she had seen Ruby conscious. Qrow had brought her small, limp body down from the top of the tower and for a horrible moment, Weiss thought that Ruby was dead. The relief had overwhelmed her when Qrow told her that Ruby was still alive and the heiress’ legs had given out. It had taken weeks before Weiss felt anywhere near able to accept what had happened that day.

Everyone had lost so much that day. None more so than Pyrrha. Pyrrha had given her life in her final attempt to save the school from falling to Cinder. Weiss didn’t doubt that the remainder of Team JNPR felt the loss heavily, but Weiss had looked up to Pyrrha so much that she felt the loss of not just a friend but her role model. The loss of one of the few people who inspired her to become a huntress and use her skills to fight for what was right.

Try as hard as she might, Weiss couldn’t help but think of that day. Sometimes she would dream that she was back at Beacon and nothing had ever happened. Those were always the worst kind of dream. The kind where, for a moment, she felt safe again. Weiss missed her life at Beacon so much more than she could ever express. She missed her team, her friends, the people who had seen past her name, the people who had seen _her_ and accepted her, flaws and all. She missed it all. Dust, she even missed Professor Port’s classes.

Weiss had never been a fan of how Atlas was run. She understood that it was the militant capital, but she didn’t think that that should be imposed upon the school, or rather, the school and the military should be synonymous. In fact, since the fall of Beacon and the attack on Vale, Atlas had kept its military very much within its own kingdom. Sure they sent Atlesian Knights to protect the citizens of other kingdoms, but Atlas kept their human soldiers within their own borders for now, preparing for an attack that seem increasingly inevitable with each passing day.

But with the withholding of soldiers, that meant that Winter was kept in Atlas too. Whilst she and Weiss had a more formal relationship than most siblings, Winter was one of the few people who understood the stresses of living at home, and she became a vital outlet for Weiss. Being back under her father’s control, especially after having been accustomed to looking after herself at Beacon, Weiss felt trapped. And Winter being there for her had been a saving grace for the younger of the sisters. Not to mention that it had brought them closer together. Weiss was sure, however, that Winter was keeping a close eye on her. Winter had some idea of how the fall of Beacon had affected Weiss. But Winter had never gotten along with the youngest of the Schnee children, Whitley. And so Winter often forwent staying at the Schnee manor, avoiding clashes with both her father and her brother.

There was so much that Weiss missed, and her partner was definitely up there with what she missed the most. The fact that Ruby had never given up on Weiss, even when the heiress had given her more than enough reason to, had shown Weiss her first kindness at Beacon. Ruby’s desire to see the best in everyone, and bring it out in them actually made Weiss want to strive to be a better person. And there was so much more to Ruby than just that. Her hyperactive naivety had grated on Weiss at first but she had grown to love it as it was just so _Ruby_. It wasn’t that Ruby was ignorant to what was going on, as Weiss had first thought, but it was that Ruby _chose_ to still see the good in the world, little as it was.

Weiss hadn’t realised how accustomed to her partner she had grown until they had been separated. She missed the subtle scent of roses that always accompanied the younger girl, she missed how well they fought together – Weiss’ recent efforts of fighting by herself had really highlighted how well they worked together and how smart and effective Ruby’s attacks were. And they didn’t just fight well together, the fit together well in all aspects. Weiss had learnt to admit that she could be a bit… proper… and Ruby was the complete counter of that, even though she tried to act appropriately when necessary.

She was so caught up in her own thoughts that Weiss didn’t register the blur of red in her peripherals until it was too late and something, or someone, had bodily tackled her, arms and legs wrapped around her as a high pitched squealing assaulted her ears. Weiss’ first reaction was to reach for Myrtenaster – her training and what had happened at Beacon had left her constantly on edge - but then she registered that the high pitch in her head was actually coming from the body that was holding her. And it was a pitch that she only knew too well.

Forcibly pushing the body away from her own, Weiss was met with the distinctive silver eyes that she would never, for the rest of her life, forget. Eyes that she had lost hope of ever seeing again. Eyes that were shining with _life_.

“Ruby?” Weiss breathed softly, not daring to believe that her partner was here. It had to be some sort of beautiful, yet sick and twisted dream.

Silver eyes crinkled affectionately as Ruby smiled tenderly at Weiss. A lump formed in Weiss’ throat as she blinked back the tears. She wasn’t used to open displays of affection but she couldn’t believe that Ruby, _her_ Ruby, was there. A warm, calloused hand cupped her jaw and a thumb wiped gently under her eye, brushing the tears away. Worry crept into her features as she did so.

“Weiss? What’s wrong? I didn’t hurt you did I?” Ruby’s eyes started darting around Weiss’ body, making sure that she hadn’t hurt the other girl.

Weiss laughed, dissipating any tension that had been within her. “No you dolt!” she lightly pushed at Ruby who grinned when Weiss laughed. “I just can’t believe that you’re actually here.”

Weiss truly looked at Ruby. The younger girl had grown up, physically at least, and now stood at an equal height with Weiss, who was less than thrilled at the change. Her hair was longer now too, brushing her shoulders. Weiss wondered if Ruby had been travelling if the state of her cloak was anything to go by. Weiss knew that Ruby’s cloak was near-sacred to her, but here she was, with her cloak tattered and torn and filthy. Clearly she hadn’t just come to Atlas – she must have been travelling for a while before she got here. Her less-than-pristine state stood out in the immaculate Atlasian lifestyle and was already drawing attention to them both.

The biggest change, though, were Ruby’s eyes. They seemed older, harder, as if Ruby had seen things that she shouldn’t have. Things that had effected Ruby more than she might have been willing to admit to. But then, she had seen things at the top of Beacon Tower _that_ night that Weiss couldn’t even begin to imagine.

 “You look better in the Beacon uniform.” And apparently Weiss wasn’t the only one who had been observing the changes that had happened since Beacon. Weiss cocked her head, trying not to think of the implications of what the younger girl had just said. And apparently Ruby realised that her words could have another meaning too as a light blush coated her face. “Not that you look bad…”

With a gentle push, Weiss said, “Dunce” and she turned her head so that Ruby couldn’t see the smile that graced her features. But Weiss had so many questions that she didn’t know where to begin and she saw the curious glances that passers-by kept directing their way. No. She couldn’t ask here. Not so out in the open. It was too exposed. Too likely for this to relay back to her father. “Come on. We can’t talk here.” She made to grab Ruby’s hand but the younger girl pulled away, fidgeting, suddenly seeming like she had somewhere else to be. Somewhere more important to be. “When was the last time you ate, Ruby?” She asked gently. “We can talk properly over food. It’s not safe to do so here.”

Ruby’s hesitation was written clearly on her face, but when Weiss had mentioned food, the younger girl’s hand had unconsciously gone to her stomach. Weiss frowned. Just where had Ruby been all this time?

“Well, I guess I should eat something…” Ruby mumbled, more to herself than to Weiss, as if she were trying to convince herself to go with the heiress. Looking up, there was still hesitation in her eyes, but her voice was resolute. “Alright. Lead the way.”

* * *

 

When Weiss had taken Ruby into what must have been the fanciest café that Ruby had ever seen, Ruby knew that she had made a mistake.

“Weiss, there’s no way I can afford-“

“Oh shush.” Weiss quieted the younger girl, turning on her. “I haven’t seen you in months, Ruby Rose. And now that I have, you’re all tattered and torn, looking like you haven’t had a decent meal in weeks.” She exhaled deeply through her nose and in a softer voice added, “It’s my treat.” After all, she was back in her father’s good books, and that meant that she had access to his money. She had no issue spending it on Ruby.

Ruby frowned, not really wanting to take charity, but it was _Weiss_. Her partner and BFF. And what Weiss had said was true. They had been apart for far too long and Ruby wasn’t oblivious to the deep-seated sadness within her eyes. Even now, Weiss was putting on a brave face and Ruby wasn’t sure why. What was stopping Weiss from being the person that she had fought so hard to become at Beacon? To be herself.

Whilst she was wary of how little time she actually had and how she had to explain to Weiss what had happened with Yang, and how she wanted to take Weiss away with her and then try and find Blake, wherever she was, and then try and find her sister. If Qrow was worried about Yang being with her mother, then Ruby knew that it was a lot worse than she could imagine.

Weiss had been watching Ruby as she had spiralled into her own thoughts. That look was back in her eyes, the one where she looked like she had to be somewhere else, desperately.

Weiss looked to the waitress. “One black coffee, and one hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and marshmallows. Oh, and two of your cookies please.” She smiled as the waitress nodded and gestured for them to sit anywhere.

Ruby had shaken herself free of her thoughts when she heard Weiss ordering and followed the heiress to a table in the window. Sitting opposite one another, both girls were suddenly confronted with a tense awkwardness – neither of them knowing where to start.

_No, this was ridiculous_ , thought Ruby, _this is_ Weiss. _There’s no need to feel like this_.

“So… how have you been?” Ruby asked, wringing her hands together. She didn’t miss Weiss’ hard flinch as both girls were suddenly assaulted with memories of _that_ night. Of the night that Beacon fell. “Ok, bad question. But it is good to see you again though.” Weiss relaxed as Ruby carefully drew the conversation away from bad memories.

And whilst Weiss was actually thrilled to see Ruby again, she knew the girl well enough to know that there was a reason behind her being there, especially when Atlas was on the brink of closing its borders. It must have taken a great deal of effort for Ruby to have been able to get into Atlas, let alone Alsius.

“It’s good to see you too, Ruby.” She paused as the waitress set down their drinks and cookies. She sighed once the waitress walked away, earning her a concerned glance from Ruby.

“I guess you have questions,” Ruby said, grabbing a cookie and shoving half of it in her mouth, making Weiss cringe, but then smile. It was good to see that not all of Ruby had grown up. But she had been quiet a moment too long and Ruby looked up at her. “Do you have ques-“

“Of course I have questions.” Weiss snapped, suddenly being reminded of being back at Beacon. It had come to her so naturally to respond like that, and Ruby seemed to relax more at it too. But her tension slipped away as quickly as it had come. Of course she had questions. Like where had Ruby been all this time? Was she alright? Had she heard from Blake and Yang? Were they alright? But there was one question that caused her to feel increasing unease. “Ruby, why are you here?”

Ruby opened her mouth to counter that she could come and visit her partner whenever she felt like it, but she couldn’t say the words. It wasn’t that it wasn’t true – Ruby missed Weiss more than she felt comfortable admitting out loud – it was that there _was_ an ulterior motive behind her visit.

Weiss watched as Ruby was about to answer, but the fire died from her eyes almost instantly. Her shoulders sagged and a fear that Weiss hadn’t seen before appeared in the depths of her eyes. Weiss tried to hide her own reaction to Ruby’s reaction, but she couldn’t stop feeling chilled at the normally hyperactive girl’s response. _Just what had happened?_

“Ruby,” Weiss waited until silver eyes met hers before continuing gently, “you can talk to me.”

Ruby released a deep shuddering breath. “It- it’s Yang.” Weiss tried to ignore the stab of fear that had raced through her at Ruby’s quiet and broken words. Weiss had been worried about Yang and how she would have dealt with the loss of her arm, and apparently with good reason too. “She’s gone.”

Gone? What did that mean? She couldn’t have-? No. Yang was strong. She was the strongest member of Team RWBY.

“Ruby, what do you mean she’s gone?”

Weiss reached across the table and gently took Ruby’s hand in her own. Seeing the care and worry in Weiss’ eyes gave Ruby the small amount of comfort that she needed to start telling Weiss what she knew. And once she started, she found it difficult to stop. She told Weiss of leaving Patch in search of Cinder and the reason behind why she destroyed Beacon. She told Weiss of working with JNPR and how they had formed RNJR but how Ruby struggled to work with them because they weren’t _her_ team. They weren’t RWBY. Ruby wasn’t oblivious to the look of hurt that had crossed Weiss’ face when she had spoken about RNJR, but Ruby owed it to Weiss. She deserved to know the whole truth. Especially with what Ruby was planning to ask Weiss.

“- and the worst thing is, I think she went willingly. I shouldn’t have left her. She was in a bad place. She had just lost her arm! And I left her! I shouldn’t have done that. I should have been there for her. I should have –“

“Ruby Rose!” Weiss’ harsh tone cut through Ruby’s distressed rambling. Weiss had watched Ruby get more and more upset as she spoke, and the truth was, she was upset too. She was upset that Ruby had joined with another team so soon after losing her own. _But she had come back_. “Stop blaming yourself. It won’t get you anywhere. What happened to Yang was… unimaginable. But Yang is strong. She’s by far the strongest of Team RWBY. And she’s smart. She would learn to use everything that happened to her to her advantage. Because if there’s one thing that I know, it’s that Yang Xiao Long does not give up.”

Whilst Ruby felt mildly comforted by Weiss’ words, she still wasn’t convinced, and Weiss could see that.

“So what are you going to do?” she asked the younger girl. “You always have a plan.”

Ruby frowned slightly. She did have a plan that was true, but how could she ask Weiss to leave this new life that she had built for herself in Atlas?

“Weiss?” the heiress raised an eyebrow, indicating for Ruby to continue. “What’s Alsius like?”

Weiss’ jaw clenched and her eyes strayed from Ruby’s. She hadn’t been expecting Ruby to ask her _that_ , of all things. She was more than happy to hear how Ruby had been doing because it helped her _forget_ her situation. But even more, she didn’t want to admit, to Ruby or anyone, what life for her in Atlas was really like. How she couldn’t be herself here. How she was nothing more than another trophy for her father to parade about.

Ruby, on the other hand, knew Weiss well enough to read her reaction. She knew that Weiss was not on the best terms with her father in particular and her sister had seemed cold and distant, which had been strange to Ruby at first when she was used to Yang being the complete opposite. She had no idea that Weiss’ life at home was _that_ bad. She hated that she had left Weiss here for so long too. She now understood the sadness in her eyes. Why she was putting on this façade. Ruby felt like she was failing everybody. She had only thought of revenge without thinking of the long term effects. But no more. With her team, she could only be the best her. It was like what Ozpin had said to her all that time ago, she couldn’t think about herself, she had to think about her team. Put them first.

“You asked if I had a plan,” she said gently, saving Weiss from answering the question she had asked. She waited for Weiss to meet her gaze before continuing. “I do. I’m reforming our team, Team RWBY.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand the entirety of Volume 4 has come out since I last updated this. There are no excuses so I'm just going to quietly push this towards you.  
> Thanks for reading and as always, let me know what you thought and come and find me on tumblr @warrioroftheice

**Author's Note:**

> So I've jumped on the RWBY fanfiction train. I'm so worried about Yang that I cant help but think that something bad is going to happen. If you liked this, then please comment and like.  
> Thanks for reading.  
> tumblr: warrioroftheice


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